


Choices

by gilesbabe



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-21 03:32:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2453144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilesbabe/pseuds/gilesbabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel in the garden, asking for a sign.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Choices

**Author's Note:**

> This breaks away from cannon at the episode 'The Man Who Would Be King'

“That’s why I’m asking you, Father, one last time. Am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right path? You have to tell me. You have to give me a sign. Give me a sign,” Castiel begged. “Because if you don’t I’m going to,” he stops briefly. “I’m going to do whatever I, whatever I must.” His eyes search the heavens, the area around him. Nothing. Castiel bowed his head in sorrow.

A warm wind swirled past him, then a voice quietly said, “Hey, bro.”

Castiel’s head snapped up and he stared in disbelief at the figure in front of him. “Gabriel?”

“In the flesh, so to speak.” Gabriel gave a little smirk.

Now that he was looking closer, the figure in front of him wasn’t quite solid. Castiel could see faint images of trees through what appeared to be Gabriel. He stood and swiftly manifested his sword. The figure raised his hands in a placating manner and took a couple of steps back.

“Easy there, I’ve been stabbed by one brother already, and I don’t want to experience that again.” Gabriel tilted his head and considered. “Although I’m not sure you can, at least not the way I am right now.”

Castiel let his sword dissolve back into his grace, but did not relax. “What are you, and why are you trying to pretend to be Gabriel? Angels do not leave ghosts behind when they are killed. Our grace is disbursed into the universe; nothing is left behind.”

The figure smirked again. “Usually, yes, but I’m not your average angel. I spent a lot of years as a pagan god and as a Trickster. I learned a few things that most angels don’t know.”

Castiel frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about separating a part of your grace and anchoring it to something else. It’s a neat trick that came in handy quite a few times through the centuries. Looks like it kinda worked this time too.” Gabriel looked down at himself and frowned. “Just not as well as I had hoped. I didn’t have much time and I was a little sloppy.” His expression changed, and Castiel could see sorrow in his eyes. “I didn’t really think he’d do it.” Gabriel said softly. 

“Lucifer?”

“Yeah, I didn’t really think he’d kill me. I wasn’t going to kill him, you know. No matter what he had done, he was still my brother. We were the first; for a long time we were all that existed. He just couldn’t get over it when Dad started creating other angels, let alone when he started making humans.” Gabriel looked away. “Anyway, water under the bridge and all that.” He smiled back at Castiel, spreading his arms wide. “You asked Dad for a sign; here I am.”

“What kind of sign is this? You are little more than a disembodied spirit, how can you possibly help me?”

“It’s true that I have very little mojo while I’m like this, but with a little help from you I can come back all the way. Have you heard the saying, ‘The Lord helps those who help themselves’? Dad just brought me back together enough to show you that he’s listening, but you have to handle the rest of this yourself.”

Castiel gave a snort. “I’m beginning to understand Dean’s frustration with sayings about our Father.” He shook his head. “Very well, what do I need to do?”

“There are two objects that I used to store some of my grace. They need to be brought together with my vessel.”

“It’s been well over a year since Lucifer killed you. The vessel would have decayed by now.”

Gabriel shook his head. “Nope, I made it myself, it was never alive. I could leave it for any amount of time and it would be there when I needed it.”

“Surely someone found the body at some point and buried it. How will we know where?”

Gabriel looked down. “I haven’t come back just now; I’ve been here all along, just really stretched and weak. A few days after Lucifer killed me Kali came back and she must have felt something, because she did a ritual to release my soul, then she cast a spell to mask the hotel, turning it into my monument. After she left, I discovered that I could leave too. I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around, watching the Dean and Sam show, as well as you and Raphael. I tried to help you a couple of times, but nada. Sorry.”

“Gabriel, angels don’t have souls.”

Gabriel smiled. “Oh little bro, you are so wrong. If you don’t have a soul, why are you worried about what will happen to this planet. If you don’t have a soul, why do you care about what happens to Dean? Why are you so upset when he is angry with you?” Gabriel shook his head. “You have a soul, and it’s being held in Dean Winchester’s hands, along with your heart.”

Castiel looked away. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Gabriel studied him for a long moment. “Very well, we won’t talk about this right now, but you are going to have to face it sometime.” He rubbed his hands together. “First things first. If I am going to be of any real help to you I have to be a little more solid. We need to bring the two items together with my vessel. The first one is easy, it was my sword, and it’s still sticking in my vessel. That’s why I was trapped there until Kali showed up. The second one is going to be a little harder.”

“What was it?”

“It was the DVD with the instructions about getting the rings from the Horsemen that I gave to Dean and Sam. Last I knew, Sam still had it, and that means it’s..”

“At Bobby Singer’s house,” Castiel interrupted. “I can’t go there. They have warded it against me.”

Gabriel frowned. “Against you specifically, or against all angels?”

Castiel considered. “Against angels definitely, I don’t know if they know how to tailor that to me specifically.”

Gabriel smirked. “Not a problem, I know how to get by the general wards, and even if it has been tailored to you, it won’t affect me. Let’s go.” Before Castiel could protest Gabriel snapped his fingers and they were standing in the kitchen of Bobby’s house.

Three chairs hit the floor as the men sitting there stood up abruptly. Dean scowled. “What the hell, Bobby? I thought you said he wouldn’t be able to get in.”

“He shouldn’t be able to,” Bobby growled back.

Sam took a step forward, stretching out his hand. “Gabriel?”

“Hey, kiddo. Long time no see.”

Castiel glanced at Dean, then away to the floor. He swallowed, then turned towards Sam. “Sam, do you still have the DVD that Gabriel gave to you?”

Sam darted a quick look at Dean and Bobby and blushed. “It’s up in my duffle.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Yeah, she was pretty hot, wasn’t she? Listen, Sasquatch, I’m glad you held onto it. Go get it for me, will ya? We’re in a bit of a hurry here.” 

Dean stepped forward and grabbed Sam‘s arm, preventing him from leaving. “Why should we give a rat’s ass if you are in a hurry? What’s so important about that DVD?”

Gabriel crossed his arms and shrugged. “Oh, no rush at all. Not if you don’t mind Raphael and a bunch of his boys coming after me. I’m corporeal enough to ping on his radar, but not solid enough to help out when he gets here. So, it’s up to you. You want to go get me that DVD, or do you want to die?”

Dean scowled, but released Sam, who turned and quickly headed up the stairs. They could hear him crossing the floor as Dean and Gabriel continued to glare at each other. Sam had just started back down the stairs when both Gabriel and Castiel jerked their heads towards the outside door. A brilliant light erupted in the yard and poured through the kitchen windows. 

“Time’s up.” Gabriel said.

Castiel turned, “Gabriel, do you have enough power to get them out of here?” At Gabriel’s nod Castiel continued. “I’ll delay Raphael, you take them to safety.” His gazed swept across Dean as he turned back towards the light. He manifested his sword and he took a couple of steps towards the door. When he didn’t hear any sound behind him he looked back at Gabriel. “GO!” He resolutely looked forward again, not allowing himself a last look at Dean. He heard the faint sound of wings and felt the brush of displaced air.

Castiel allowed himself to slump, his hand lowering the sword towards the floor. They were gone; Dean was safe. The light coming through the windows got impossibly brighter as more angels joined Raphael. He was going to die, again, and this time he didn’t think that Father would be bringing him back. Second chances were rare enough, third chances rarer still, but fourth chances? No.

Castiel took a deep breath, even though he didn’t need to breathe, and the action steadied his resolve. Just as he took another step towards the door, a hand grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Dean demanded.

Castiel stared in disbelief. “Dean?” He glanced around. “Where are the others? Why are you still here?”

“Gabriel took off with the others and left me. Why are you hanging around? Let’s get out here.”

Castiel was stunned into immobility. Gabriel had left Dean there with him, in danger.

Dean grabbed his arms and shook him. “Cas, wake up! We have to go.”

Castiel pulled his right arm free and reached towards Dean’s forehead, intending to send him to safety. Dean grabbed his hand, pushing it away. “No you don’t. You’re coming with me. Come on, Cas, take us to Gabriel and Sam.”

Castiel shook his head. “I don’t know where they are. Gabriel didn’t tell me where we would be going after we retrieved the DVD.”

The light glowed brighter, as if the sun itself had landed in Bobby’s scrap yard. Castiel was amazed to see that Dean wasn’t squinting or shielding his eyes. Dean scowled at him. “We don’t have time to argue about this. Get us the fuck out of here.” He grabbed Castiel’s arm again.

There was a moment of disorientation, and then they were standing in an empty field. Castiel pulled away. “I have to keep Raphael’s attention on me. If he finds Gabriel before he regains his full strength he will destroy him. Please, let me send you somewhere where you’ll be safe.”

“So, you’re going to hold them all off?”

“Yes.”

“Bullshit. That’s what you said the last time and Raphael killed you.”

“I am stronger now.”

“No, what you are is an idiot. You’re trying to be a martyr to make up for the way you’ve been screwing up lately. You don’t get to do that, you have to face your mistakes and help fix them. You can’t rely on other people to set things right.”

Castiel swung back and met Dean’s gaze head on. He scowled. “Like you have always fixed all of your mistakes?”

Dean scowled back. “At least I tried. I never dumped them on Sam or Bobby.”

Castiel took a step forward, “Because your mistakes always involved Sam or Bobby, and speaking of being a martyr, look in the dictionary because next to the word you will find your picture.”

Dean looked outraged. “WHAT?”

“You seem to think that anything that has gone wrong since you were born is your fault.”

“I don’t” Dean stopped as Castiel’s expression went blank. A bright light appeared at the far end of the field. “Raphael?”

“Yes.”

“How long did it take him to find us?”

“Three minutes.”

“Damn, he’s quick.” Dean grabbed Castiel’s arms again. “Let’s go.”

“Dean.”

“Shut it.” They glared at each other as the landscape rippled and they went from the field to a beach. Dean looked around. “Nice, I always wanted to go to the beach. Where are we?”

“A small island in the South Pacific.”

“Cool.”

“No, the manner in which humans register ambient temperature would indicate that it is quite warm.”

Dean gave him a look. “Dude, you know what I mean.” Castiel looked away but Dean could see the small grin. “Nice to see that you’ve finally developed a sense of humor.” They stood for a few seconds in silence watching the waves coming onto the beach. “Gabriel didn’t give you any clues about where he was going to go after he got the DVD?”

Castiel shook his head. “Just that he needed to bring it and his sword together with his vessel so that the Grace that he had stored in the two items could bring him the rest of the way back.”

“His vessel? Hell, I know where that is.”

This time Castiel grabbed him. “You do? Where?” Before Dean could respond a bright light appeared a little way down the beach. Dean glanced at the light. “Three minutes?”

The landscape rippled again and they were standing on a ledge high in a mountain range. “Three minutes.” Castiel agreed.

“How is he finding us so quickly?”

“Unless I deliberately suppress my Grace it’s like seeing the full moon on a cloudless night: it’s impossible to miss. As long as my Grace is at full force, and Gabriel is still so diminished, I am all that Raphael can see.”

“So, we’re playing a game of cat and mouse with Raphael, and we are the mice.”

“I am the mouse; you are merely along for the ride.” Castiel huffed in frustration. “Dean, tell me where Gabriel’s vessel is so that I can send you there. I will follow when it is safe.”

“No. We stick together. If I’m around I know you won’t do something stupid, like decide to fight him.” Dean looked around the ledge. “Not much room, he’ll be landing close this time. Do we have to wait for him to get here before we take off again?"

“No, he is following the trail of my Grace; it will lead him here, then on to wherever we go next.”

“Then let’s go now.”

Castile nodded, the view rippled, and they were standing in the middle of a snowstorm. Dean blinked. He could hear the howl of the wind, but it was muffled as if they were inside a building, and he wasn’t cold. He grinned at Castiel. “Now, THIS is cool.”

Castiel nodded, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Dean chuckled. “I’ve got an idea.”

Castiel just tilted his head, as if to say, ‘Go ahead.’

“Is it possible for you to suppress your Grace a little bit at a time?”

“Yes.”

“What if we start jumping every two minutes, and on every third or fourth jump you dial down your Grace, just a bit? Would he still keep following us, or stop somewhere and wait for us to stop moving?”

The landscape rippled and they were standing on top of a tall building in a large city. 

“Raphael may be a good fighter now, but that was not the purpose of his creation. He was created to be a healer and everything he does is filtered through that original imprint. He will continue to follow the trail of my Grace, even as it weakens because he will not see it as a ruse. In his mind the only reason I would be slowly losing my Grace would be that I am injured.” 

“But if we start moving faster, won’t he move faster too?”

“Logic would indicate that he would, but as I said he is not truly a fighter. He knows that I have a human with me, that knowledge plus the fact that I appear to be losing my Grace will have him thinking that we are fleeing in desperation, which is what he wants. He will enjoy dragging out the chase as he thinks it will increase our fear.”

“What a dick.”

The world rippled again. Castiel sighed. “He was not always that way.” They gazed out across the open plain and Dean blinked. “Cas, are those lions?”   
“Yes, we are in Africa.” 

Dean grinned. “Sam is going to be so jealous.”

“When it appears that my Grace is down to half of its normal strength we should be far enough ahead of Raphael to go to where Gabriel is. That would give me enough time to take us all to safety if Gabriel has not yet recovered all of his powers. Where is Gabriel?”

“Hell, no. You’ll just send me there now.”

“I need to know a general area to stay away from while we are moving.”

“General area? Fine. Stay away from Indiana and Ohio.”

Castiel nodded, and the view rippled again. The next hour was a nauseating series of rapid movements around the globe. Before Dean closed his eyes to help himself endure the shifts he saw the pyramids in Egypt, the Eiffel tower in Paris and the Great Wall in China. He felt the sensation of another move, and then Castiel gave him a small shake.

“I believe we are far enough ahead of Raphael that it is safe for us to go to Gabriel now. Where is he?”

Dean opened his eyes to find that they were standing on a sidewalk in front of the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas. He took a deep, steadying, breath. “Elysian Fields motel Muncie, Indiana.” The lights of the Vegas strip faded, becoming an overgrown field. Dean frowned. “This isn’t right.”

“This is the location of the place in your memory. Gabriel told me that Kali turned the building into a place of eternal rest for him by casting a spell that rendered it invisible.”

Before Dean could comment, a door opened in mid air and Sam stuck his head out. “Where the hell have you guys been? Get in here.”

They hurried through the door and as soon as it closed Castiel could feel the wards settle into place. They were strong, he could feel the power that the goddess had invoked, and even if Raphael arrived outside in the same place that they had he would not be able to sense their presence. Castiel relaxed for the first time since he had seen Gabriel in the garden. Dean would be safe; they all would be safe here. He closed his eyes and said a small prayer. ‘Thank you, Father. Thank you, Kali.’

A hand touched his shoulder. “Cas, you okay?”

He opened his eyes and looked directly into Dean’s. ‘Beloved’, he thought even as he said, “Yes, Dean, I am fine.”

Something of his thoughts must have shown in his gaze because Dean blinked, blushed, and looked away. “Um, Sam and the others are this way.” He turned and hurried down a hallway deeper into the building.

Castile sagged and lowered his gaze to the floor. “Damn it,” he muttered. He needed to get control of himself or he would lose Dean’s friendship again, permanently this time. The discord between them this year had been almost more than he could bear, but the war against Raphael had taken so much of his time. It had been better that he stayed away from Dean, thus keeping Raphael’s gaze away from him as well.

Then he had made the biggest mistake of his existence when he had agreed to Balthazar’s plan to send them to another dimension while they secured the weapons. He had truly felt they would be safer there. He had not realized that Raphael would take it as an opportunity to kill Dean while he was away from Castiel’s protection.  
The last hour had been a pleasure, and a pain. To be so close to Dean, to feel the heat of his body, the beating of his heart, to be able to gaze at him without needing to look away. To have the opportunity to memorize the pattern of freckles across that beloved face. And now, to have to go back to the farce of pretending to have no emotions, to have to hide his feelings again. Castiel had no fear of going to Hell; he was already in Hell. Every day that he had to be apart from Dean, had to repress his feelings when he was with Dean, was torture.

“Cas! Get your ass in here!” Dean’s voice echoed down the hall.

Castiel gave an involuntary smile. So impatient. He walked quickly down the hallway and into the room where the others were waiting. He could see that although Gabriel was more solid appearing he was still a spirit. Castiel frowned. “What is the problem? Why haven’t you regained your Grace?”

Gabriel scowled back at him. “Because I need your help with the ritual. If I had known that you were going to take the scenic route I would have brought you with me.”

“I thought that I needed to lead Raphael on a big enough chase to allow you time to regain your Grace undetected. And may I remind you that you didn’t tell me where your vessel was? It was a good thing that Dean knew or we would not have arrived at all.” Castiel glared at Gabriel. “You left Dean in danger. You knew I was counting on you to take him to safety.”

Gabriel shrugged. “I didn’t have enough juice to bring all three with me. Besides, I needed you to help me, not fight Raphael. I knew that Deano wouldn’t let you do anything stupid.”

Castiel crossed his arms, still glaring. “You just said that if you had known we would take so long you would have brought me with you. How, if you didn’t have enough ‘juice’?”

“Simple, I would have left all of the others there.”

“Gabriel,” Castiel growled, but before he could continue Bobby broke in. 

“Will you two idjits shut up? You can argue later. Just do the damn ritual and fix him.” 

The two angels turned to look at Bobby, identical looks of outrage on their faces. Sam and Dean started laughing, which made Castiel look even more indignant. Gabriel took one look at Castiel and started laughing too. “Come on, Bro, let’s get this show on the road.” He gestured for Castiel to come over next to the vessel.

Castiel glared at him, but moved across the room to where Gabriel was standing. As he passed the vessel, which was still lying on the floor, he noticed something. “Gabriel, where is your sword? I thought you said it was still in your vessel.”

Gabriel glanced away, then looked back, his expression blank. “Castiel,” he said in a lowered voice, “you must make a choice.”

Castiel looked puzzled for a moment, then his eyes widened. “You already tried, there wasn’t enough Grace stored in the items.”

“No.”

“The only way to restore you is to give you my Grace?”

“Yes, but the choice must be yours. I can’t ask you to do this.”

Castiel glanced over at Dean. He was talking to Sam, telling him about some of the places they had traveled to. “You will stop Raphael? You will keep them safe?”

“I will keep you all safe. You have my promise.”

“It doesn’t matter about me.”

Gabriel gave a little chuckle. “I can’t wait to keep an eye on you two: the angel who doesn’t feel worthy of a human, and the human who thinks he doesn’t deserve love. If it wasn’t so amusing it would be painful.”

Castiel blushed and looked away. “I don’t wish to discuss this.” He straightened his shoulders, raised his chin, looked back at Gabriel and said, “What do you need me to do.”

“Well, the chuckleheads think that we are going to do a ritual, so maybe you should say something in Enochian. I’ll try to merge with my vessel, and you just rip out your Grace and give it to me.” At Castiel’s wince Gabriel continued, “You will Fall, Castiel, you will become human. However, I will keep you from turning into a baby and starting over. You will remain as you are and begin to age. You will feel pain and joy, and eventually you will die and come before judgment, as all humans do, before you will be allowed in heaven, human heaven. You will be apart from the Host for the rest of eternity.”

Castiel closed his eyes. When he opened them Gabriel was stunned at the look of peace there. “But I will be here with Dean, yes?”

“Yeah, you’ll be here with him. How much with him, Dad only knows. Like I said, it’s going to be fun watching you two fumble around each other. I can’t wait to see Deano’s face when he finally realizes how you feel about him.”

A look of pain washed over Castiel’s face. “You will never see that. I can’t allow him to know how I feel or I’ll lose his friendship.”

Gabriel snorted. “Friendship. You can read his mind as well as I can, Bro, and friendship is not the way he thinks of you.” Gabriel tilted his head, a considering look on his face. “Or he is a lot kinkier than I thought he would be, cause some of the thoughts he has about you are pretty hot.”

Castile shook his head. “Yes, he has thoughts, but he will never act on them. Although he is gone, John Winchester’s influence is still strong, and he would never have accepted a bisexual son. Dean also fears Sam’s reaction.” Gabriel started to speak again, but Castiel waved him to silence. “Kali’s wards are strong, but you need to be fully restored in case Raphael does find us.”

Gabriel nodded. He moved over and lay down on top of his vessel, slowly sinking into it. When the two appeared to be merged, Castile took a piece of chalk from his pocket and drew a circle around the body. He then walked slowly around the circle, speaking in Enochian.

“Father, thank you for this opportunity to correct the mistakes I have made. Forgive me for my errors. Accept this action as some small payment for the wrongs I have done my brothers and sisters. Please allow Gabriel to watch over Dean, Sam, and Bobby so that he might keep them safe.” As he finished the circle he knelt next to Gabriel. He paused for a moment. It would be worth it, whatever the cost. Dean would be safe, or at least as safe as any human who lived a Hunter’s lifestyle. The main thing was that Raphael and the Host would cease to bother him. Castiel smiled down at Gabriel, who was again surprised to see that look of peace in Castiel’s eyes. 

Castiel reached into his chest, ignoring the pain as he gathered his Grace into a sphere. From behind him he heard Dean and Sam shout, their voices overlapping.  
“Cas, what the hell are you doing?” “Castiel, don’t!” 

He heard rapid steps behind him, steps that stopped when he pulled the glowing sphere out of his chest, holding it in the air above Gabriel. One set of steps continued and a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders. Dean’s face appeared next to his, bathed in the glow of his Grace. “Cas, stop, don’t do this. We’ll figure something out.”

He turned his head just enough to see that Dean’s eyes were open, looking at him with concern. “I must, Dean, you said it yourself. I have to face my mistakes and fix them. This is the only way.” He kept his eyes locked onto Dean’s, allowing himself to show all of the love he was feeling, as he slammed his hand down burying his Grace into Gabriel’s vessel.

There was an explosion of light and energy that knocked him back into Dean and as they toppled over Castiel’s senses went black. Dean pulled Castiel close to his chest as he curled up, trying to protect him from the debris that was flying across the room. To his horror he could feel the body in his arms shifting, almost as if it were shrinking. A strong hand pulled the two apart.

Gabriel knelt down and placed his hands on Castiel’s writhing body. Dean shoved at him, trying to push him off. “What the hell are you doing to him? Leave him alone!”

Gabriel looked up, eyes a bright, glowing, gold, and snarled, “Unless you want to spend the next 18 years pretending to be his father, back off and let me stabilize him.”

Dean moved back a few inches, watching the concentration on Gabriel’s face. He heard the archangel mutter, “Come on, Dad, I promised him. Don’t make me out to be a liar.” The body on the floor stopped moving. The face appeared to be smoother, younger, but not all that much younger, the clothes fitting a little looser, as if the muscles were not as well defined. If Dean had to make a guess, he would have said that Castiel was now in his mid twenties, instead of the thirty something that Jimmy had been.

Gabriel sat back, shaking his hands. He gave Dean a big smile, “Damn, I’m good.” He tilted his head, “But that did get Raphael’s attention. I’d better get all of you to a safe place while I deal with him.” Gabriel snapped his fingers and they all appeared in Bobby’s living room, or rather, what was left of it.

Dean looked around at the shattered furniture and the barely standing house. “Looks like the ninja turtle wasn’t happy that we left before the big shoot out.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I am so going to enjoy smacking him down to size.” He snapped his fingers and the house, with all its furnishings, was restored. Dean picked Castiel’s body up and placed it on the sofa.

A bright light appeared outside and Raphael’s voice yelled, “Castiel, I am tired of this. Come out and face me.” Gabriel started towards the door and heard Dean come up behind him. 

“This, I’ve got to see.”

“Me too.” Sam was next to him.

Gabriel frowned at Dean. “Why aren’t you blind?”

Dean shrugged. “Don’t know. Ever since I ganked Zach and watched him explode I’ve been able to see an angel’s true form. Maybe it’s a reward for ridding Heaven of one of its biggest douches.”

Gabriel gave him a strange look. “You killed Zachariah? You have hidden depths, Winchester. I’m definitely gonna have to keep an eye on you.”

Dean smirked and opened his mouth to reply when from outside they heard, “Castiel, if you won’t come out, I’ll have to come in and get you and if you force me to do that I will hurt your precious humans.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Dude, go shut the bitch up.”

Gabriel grinned and opened the door, stepping out onto the porch, Dean and Sam following directly behind him. Raphael looked at Gabriel and smiled. “Why, Castiel, you have a new vessel. Did something happen to the old one?”

Gabriel shook his head. “I always knew you weren’t the brightest bulb, but I didn’t think you were this dim.” He spread his arms wide and smirked. “Look again.”

There was a loud gasp, and many of the angels that had accompanied Raphael took several steps back. Raphael shook his head. “No, you are dead.”

Gabriel shrugged. “I got better. Dad’s not happy with you.” He looked around at the other angels. “Not happy with any of you. He asked me to give you a message.” He stopped and gave a little smirk. “Well, after all, I am His Messenger.” He changed, his face becoming stern, his wings flaring in the air high above him, and his body was outlined in a bright glow.

“Our Father has commanded me to tell you to leave.” He voice boomed across the yard, shattering windows. “Leave this world to the humans for which it was created. Go back to Heaven, resume your place among the Host, and await his return.”

Sam put their hands over his ears to try to smother some of the volume, but he could feel blood trickling out. He glanced at Dean and noticed that the sound was not bothering him. One by one the angels standing in the yard nodded, then in a burst of light that had Sam closing his eyes, they left the vessels they were inhabiting and the bodies crumpled to the ground. 

Raphael was the last one standing in the scrap yard, but he didn’t leave his vessel, instead he manifested his sword. Swinging it wildly he charged towards Gabriel. “Our Father is dead! This is a trick to try to undermine my authority. It won’t work; I will prevail over the rebel Castiel and over you.”

Gabriel manifested his sword and stood waiting. Raphael had crossed half of the distance when he suddenly stopped in mid stride. He was frozen, unable to move, except for his eyes. They moved rapidly from side to side and Dean could see the muscles in his jaw ripple as he tried to open his mouth. 

Sam patted Gabriel on the shoulder. “Good job.”

Gabriel looked at him, puzzled. “I didn’t do it.”

Dean looked around warily. “If you didn’t do it, then who did?”

There was a flash of bright light and Chuck appeared next to Raphael. “Chuck?” Sam and Dean said together. “Dad?” asked Gabriel.

“What?” Sam stared.

“Oh, Hell, no.” Dean moaned. 

Chuck shrugged. “Sorry, but yes. That is to say the last two times you met Chuck, it was me. The other times it really was him.”

Dean frowned. “The last two times? When we to Chuck’s house after Raphael killed Cas and at that stupid convention? That was you?”

Chuck nodded.

“You son of a bitch!” Dean growled. “You let that douche kill Cas? You were standing there when Zachariah was bragging about making me say yes to Michael, and you didn’t do anything?”

Chuck shrugged again. “Free will. I couldn’t interfere.”

“Screw free will. You know how many people, how many angels, died because you didn’t want to ‘interfere’? How bad Cas felt every time he had to kill another angel to protect us, to protect himself? How dare you stand there and try to justify that.”

Gabriel was suddenly in his face. “Don’t talk to Him like that. You don’t have the right you pathetic little…..” 

“Gabriel.” Chuck was suddenly there, pushing him away from Dean. “He has the right.”

Dean blinked in surprise. “I do?”

“Of course you do. Your life, your entire existence, is due to interference from Heaven.” Chuck fell silent for a moment, then sighed. “What you don’t understand, what none of my children have ever understood, is that I am not all powerful. In fact, I am nowhere near the top of the food chain out there.” He made a vague gesture towards the sky. 

“This world, this universe, is just one dimension in a much bigger reality. Long ago, when I ‘left’ Heaven, it was because I had been injured while fighting another being who wanted to take over this dimension. Defeating him left me very close to death and I only survived by placing myself in what you might call a form of stasis.”  
Chuck looked at the dumbfounded faces in front of him. “I felt the disturbance when Lucifer was released from his cage and woke myself. I felt two humans nearby and sent them, you and Sam, to safety. I then felt the presence of an archangel in his true form on the planet. I observed Raphael kill Castiel, also killing the human he was supposed to be protecting. I restored Castiel the best I could, but Chuck’s soul was already in Heaven and I had weakened myself too much to risk going there to retrieve him. I thought that here, on Earth, was as good a place as any to rebuild my strength. My own version of witness protection.”

“So, that’s why Cas didn’t have all his mojo when you brought him back, why he kept getting weaker?”

“Yes.”

“And why he couldn’t find you when he was searching for you with the amulet?” Sam asked. He frowned for a moment. “Joshua knew too, didn’t he, that’s why he gave us that message, the one where you said that we were on our own, that you wouldn’t help.”

“Yes. I had barely enough power to hide the fact that I wasn’t human, certainly not enough power to stop Lucifer.” Chuck closed his eyes in pain. “My poor Morningstar. I’m afraid I wasn’t a very good first time parent.” 

“What about when you brought Cas back the second time. Why was he so much more powerful then?”

“So that he could bring Bobby back, and retrieve Sam and Adam’s souls from the cage.” Chuck shook his head. “At least that was my intention. If he had gone to the cage immediately, not waited until after he had returned to the Host, he would have been able to bring both of the soul’s back. Going to Heaven and being attacked by Raphael weakened him, and the fact that he chose to try to bring all of Sam back, body as well as soul, caused him to fail in his mission. Since I had again used up what power I had managed to rebuild I was helpless to intervene.”

He looked back at Raphael, then over to Gabriel. “It would seem that of all my Firstborn the one who ran away turned out the best.”

Gabriel’s face crumbled and he fell to one knee. “Father.”

Chuck put his hand on Gabriel’s head. “I’m afraid that I’m going to need your help for a while, but when things get straightened out you will be free to do whatever you choose. If you wish to come back here on a permanent basis, then you may.” He turned and walked back over to Raphael.

“Go home, Raphael. I’ll return shortly and we’ll discuss what you have done, and what punishment you deserve. “ Chuck placed his hand on the face of Raphael’s vessel. There was a bright flash of light and the woman’s body fell to the ground. Chuck looked around at the bodies lying on the ground, waved his hand, and they all disappeared. 

“I have sent them places where they will be found so that they can return to their families when they regain consciousness. I also wiped all memories of the experience from their minds.”

Dean made a gesture to where Raphael’s vessel had been. “Is she going to end up a drooling mess like his previous vessel? It would be easier for the family to just find her dead than to have to live with that.”

“Any of the vessels whose minds were damaged have been repaired. I cannot bring back all of those who have been lost, but I can make right what has been done to those still living. Come, Gabriel, we have a lot of work to do.”

“Just hold on a minute. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Dean demanded. 

Chuck looked down for a moment, and then smiled at Dean. "You are right, I did forget something." He suddenly appeared next to Sam, laying his hand against Sam's forehead. "That will keep the memories in their place. You don't have to worry about the wall coming down now."

Sam smiled. “Thank you.”

Chuck turned back to Gabriel and took ahold of his arm.

“What about Cas? Aren’t you going to fix him?” Dean asked.

Chuck smiled at Dean. “There is nothing wrong with Castiel.”

Dean sighed in relief. “You gave him back his Grace.”

“No.”

“Then what the hell do you mean, there’s nothing wrong with him? He’s human.”

“Exactly.”

“He’s only human because you screwed up when you brought Gabriel back and he had to give up his Grace to keep us alive.” Dean was vibrating with anger. “Or did you do that on purpose? Is this some kind of punishment because he fought against the others?”

Chuck shook his head. “Dean, I don’t feel that Castiel needs to be punished, and at the time I brought Gabriel back I was still reduced in power. It was just a few minutes ago,” he paused and tilted his head in thought, “in a manner of speaking, that two of my siblings became aware of my injuries and arrived to help me return to my full abilities.”

Chuck gave a little wave. “In any event, the situation was real and Castiel made a choice. He chose to become human and remain here on Earth with you.”  
“No. That’s not possible. When he was falling, he hated losing his mojo. He hated being human.”

“What he hated was the circumstances. He hated that I appeared to have abandoned both Earth and Heaven. This is different. The war is over, no angels will be trying to injure any of you, and your lives will return to normal. He gave up his Grace to ensure this. He is happy with his choice.”

Dean shook his head. “But you’re back. When he finds out that what he did wasn’t necessary after all he won’t be happy, not stuck down here with us mud monkeys. You should give him back his Grace and let him go home.”

Chuck gave him a serious look. “Do you want him to leave?”

“What?”

“Do you want Castiel to leave, to go back to Heaven and never come back? Because if he goes back to the Host he will not be allowed to return. Gabriel is the only one who will have that option. So, tell me truthfully Dean, do you want him to leave or do you want him to stay.”

Dean swallowed hard and looked away. “I want Cas to be happy.”

“That’s not what I asked you. Do YOU want him to leave?”

Dean hunched his shoulders and stared down at the ground. Sam went over, grabbed his arms and gave him a little shake. “Dean, tell him.” Dean refused to look up. Sam shook him again. “Dean, it’s okay to be selfish, just this once. Tell him the truth.”

Dean looked up at Sam, his eyes filled with unshed tears. “I can’t, Sam. I don’t deserve…” he broke off, swallowed, looked at Chuck and repeated, “I want Cas to be happy. I want him to be where he’ll be loved and appreciated.”

Chuck gave him a warm smile. “Then that is where he will be.” 

There was bright flash of light and when their vision cleared, Dean and Sam saw that Chuck and Gabriel were gone. Dean looked away and wiped a hand across his face. He looked back at Sam, his eyes still bright with tears. “Looks like things are going to be a little dull for a while.” 

Sam shrugged. “We could use some down time.” Sam hesitated. “Dean, you should have,”

Dean cut him off. “I did what I had to do. Cas belongs with his family.” When Sam started to speak again Dean shot him a look. “End of discussion. Let’s go tell Bobby the news.” Sam shook his head, but didn’t say anything, turning to follow Dean back into the house. He ran into Dean’s back when Dean stopped dead in the doorway.

Castiel looked up from where he was sitting at the kitchen table. “Hello, Dean, Sam.”

Dean’s mouth hung open for a few seconds. “Jimmy? I thought that Cas would have taken you back to your family before he left.”

“Jimmy’s soul has been in Heaven for a long time, Dean. It’s just me.”

“What are you doing here?”

Castiel looked at the beer bottle in his hand and looked back at Dean. “I’m celebrating my Father’s return and the end of the war.”

Sam pushed Dean to the side so he could enter the house. “Hey, Cas,” he grinned, “that sounds like a great idea. Bobby, let’s go to town and get some steaks and have a cook out.”

Bobby frowned. “I’ve got steaks in the freezer. We could cook out tomorrow.” 

Sam turned his body so that Dean couldn’t see his face. He gave Bobby an exasperated look and swiveled his eyes at Castiel. “No, Cas is right. The war ended today, we should celebrate today. Dean and Cas can stay here and get the coals going while we go get the steaks and some more beer.”

Bobby frowned for a moment longer, then looked over at how Dean and Castiel were staring at each other. His eyes widened. “You know, you’re right. In fact, why don’t we just go ahead and get all the supplies while we’re at it.” He moved quickly across the kitchen, pushing Sam out the door ahead of him. “We might be gone for a while, an hour at least. Don’t start the coals too soon.”

The kitchen door closed. Dean and Castiel continued to stare at each other. From outside Sam’s voice could be heard to say, “Subtle, Bobby, real subtle.” Bobby’s voice answered, “Do you really think they heard anything either one of us said?” Both men laughed. Car doors slammed and the Impala’s engine roared to life. The sound seemed to shake Dean out of his trance. He stomped into the study.

“That son of a bitch lied to me.”

Castiel tilted his head. “Who lied?”

“Chuck, God, whatever he’s calling himself these days.”

“How did he lie to you?”

“He told me you wouldn’t be here, but you’re still here, that’s how he lied to me. You don’t belong here.”

Castiel flinched. He had made a mistake. He turned and started for the door.

“Where the hell are you going?”

Castiel stopped, but didn’t turn around. “I thought that I would wait on the porch until Sam and Bobby come back, then ask them to take me to the bus stop in town.”

“What?”

Castiel slumped slightly. “I was aware that you had been displeased with some of my actions over the past year, but I didn’t realize that you found my presence objectionable.”

A hand grabbed his shoulder and turned Castiel around to face Dean. “Dude, what the hell are you talking about?”

Castile looked down, unable to meet Dean’s gaze. “You said I don’t belong here.”

“You don’t.” Dean felt Castiel flinch again and frowned slightly. “Cas, you belong in Heaven. Chuck promised me that you could go back.”

Castiel’s head jerked up. “Father promised you that I would go back to the Host?”

“Yeah.”

“Those were his exact words?” Castiel was surprised to see Dean blush and look away.

“Kinda.”

“Dean, please, what were his exact words?” Dean mumbled something. “I didn’t hear you.”

Dean cleared this throat. “He asked me what I thought and I said you should be where you were happy and loved and respected and he said you would be, but you’re here so he lied.”

“Why do you think I would be happy in Heaven?”

“Because you will hate being here.”

“And you say this because?”

“Come on, Cas. I remember how you felt when you were losing your Grace last year. You hated being human.”

“We were in the middle of the fight against Lucifer; of course I was upset that I was losing my Grace. This will be different. The civil war in Heaven has been ended, and Crowley is limiting demon activity on Earth. I can assist Sam with research and I believe that I will be an asset on the hunt.”

Dean shook his head. “No, you belong back in Heaven. With God coming back, everyone will see that you were right. Even Raphael will have to admit how awesome you are.” 

“Dean, no one will care that I was right. The only reason any of the Host followed me was that they felt I was the lesser of two evils. With Father returning I will be ignored, not shown respect, and certainly not loved. It has always been the belief of the Host that to express love for anyone other than our Father is the highest blasphemy. For that reason alone I no longer belong with the Host.”

“What do you mean?”

Castiel threw up his hands in frustration. “Don’t play dumb, Dean. You know what I mean.”

Dean shook his head and turned away. “No, Cas. You’re just confused. It’s all these human emotions; you’re not used to them yet and you don’t know how to interpret them. You don’t really have feelings for me.”

Castiel moved close behind Dean. “I had these feelings long before I started losing my Grace. I have had these feelings since I saw you kiss Anna. Don’t tell me I don’t understand what I’m feeling.” he growled in Dean’s ear. 

Dean caught his breath, a tremor running over his body. Eyes closing, he unconsciously leaned back against Castiel. “Cas,” he started.

“It is true that I am no longer a part of the Host and can no longer read your mind, but that has not always been the case. From our meeting in the barn I have been aware of your attraction to me, but since you never expressed this aloud I respected your reticence and said nothing myself. “ 

“You’ll regret this later on. You’ll want to leave; everyone leaves.”

Castiel spun Dean around and framed his face in his hands. “Dean, I know that I failed you when I left you after Stull cemetery, but I will not leave you again. Father gave me the choice and I chose you. I will always choose you.” Not waiting for a response; he pulled Dean’s face forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. When Dean did not respond Castiel pulled back slightly. “You are worthy of love, Dean. Let me love you.” He kissed him again.

For a long moment Dean stood still, then, with a small moan, he opened his mouth and deepened the kiss. His arms moved around Castiel, pulling him tightly against his body. The kiss continued, escalating in heat, until it was interrupted by the sound of clapping. Dean tried to pull away, but Castiel held him close, keeping their foreheads pressed together. 

“Way to go, Bro.”

Castiel sighed. “Go away, Gabriel.”

“No, really, I’m impressed. I would have bet that it would take at least a month before one of you worked up the nerve to make a move. What happened?”

Looking steadily into Dean’s eyes, Castiel answered. “Father told me to ‘man up, grow a pair, and go after what I wanted.’”. He pulled away and turned to look at Gabriel. “Speaking of Father, I thought he said he needed to have you help him restore Heaven to order. Why are you here?”

Before Gabriel could answer Dean interrupted. “Whoa, wait a minute. Let me get this straight. God told you to make a move on me? Really?”

Castiel turned back. Dean was standing there, stunned. “Father told me to make my intentions clear.” He moved forward a step and placed his hand on Dean’s cheek, his thumb caressing Dean’s mouth. “I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my existence with you.”

Dean glanced at Gabriel, blushed, and pulled away. “Cas.”

“I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but I will speak my thoughts.” Dean opened his mouth but Castiel cut him off. “Not out in public, but when we are alone, or with family, I will tell you how I feel.” Castile smiled softly. “One day you will trust in my feelings.” He looked back at Gabriel. “Why are you here?”

Gabriel shrugged. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather wait until Gigantor gets back. It’s kind of complicated and I’d rather tell everyone at the same time. Dad asked me to run a couple of errands for him, then I’m on my own. Mind if I hang with you guys for a while?”

Dean scowled. “Yes, we mind.”

Gabriel gave him a mock look of hurt. “This is my thanks for saving your lives, and oh, by the way, telling you how to save the world? I’m crushed.”

Castiel sighed again. He had the feeling he was going to be doing that a lot in the coming weeks. “Of course you may spend time with us. I can’t give you permission to stay here; you must ask Robert Singer for that, but later I would be happy to spend time with you, Brother.”

“Cas!” Dean whined. “Don’t you remember how he treated us? He turned Sam into the Impala for Go….” Dean broke off at Castiel’s scowl and rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay, no blasphemy.” 

Castiel turned back to Gabriel. “Sam and Bobby will return in approximately half an hour. I have things that I need to discuss with Dean before then, so if you don’t mind, Brother, I will see you later.”

“Discuss?” Gabriel smirked.

Castiel rolled his eyes. He had known that Gabriel would comment on that. “Yes, discuss. We are not yet ready to begin a physical relationship. Especially when we only have half an hour until the others return.”

Gabriel grinned, wagging his eyebrows. “A lot can happen in half an hour, especially if I send you to a pocket universe. You can spend all the time you want there and be back in a couple of minutes.”

“Thank you for the offer, but no. We are human, and we will conduct our courtship in a human manner.” He sent Gabriel a glare. “Now, please leave.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going.” Gabriel snapped his fingers and was gone.

There was a brief silence, then Dean said, “Courtship?”

“Although we have known each other for over two years, neither of us has openly expressed our attraction to the other until now. You have felt attraction to men before but have never acted on it out of concern for how your father or Sam would react. I have watched humanity for millennia but except for the kisses we exchanged earlier, I have only been close to physical intimacy twice before; once with Chastity at the den of iniquity and later with Meg. I did not enjoy either experience.” 

Dean hung his head. “I shouldn’t have taken you to the whore house. That was just me being in deep denial. As for Meg,” he shuddered, “I still have bad dreams about that.” He hesitated. “Cas, I thought that the Bible says that God doesn’t approve of men having sex with men.”

Castiel thought for a moment. “You have read the Winchester gospels?”

Dean made a face. “You mean those books that Chuck wrote? Yeah, you know that we read them. That’s why we went looking for him.”

“How accurate were they?”

“Some things were right on, others not very close.”

“Why do you think he had anything wrong? After all he was seeing visions of things as they were happening to you and Sam.”

“I asked him that, he said that most of the wrong parts were things that his editor insisted on either taking out or putting in before they would buy the book.” Dean blinked. “The Bible had editors?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“Wait, before you get started, I need to get the coals going in the grill so it’ll be ready when they get back with the steaks.” Dean took a couple of steps towards the door, stopped, and looked back at Castiel. “If you want to keep me company while I’m out there, you should lose the coat and jacket. It’s a warm day and you’ll fry in that outfit.” Dean tilted his head, considering the man standing across from him. “In fact, you’re going to need new clothes cause you can’t wear that suit all the time anymore. It’ll wear out now that you don’t have your mojo.”

Castiel nodded and shrugged off the two coats at the same time. He unknotted his tie and slid it off of his neck as well, placing it in the coat pocket. Dean swallowed hard and licked his suddenly dry lips. Damn, he had it bad when just watching Cas taking off his tie got him revved up. Dean turned quickly towards the door. “Grab us each a beer. I’ll meet you outside.”

Castiel had seen Dean’s reactions and he was even more certain that he had made the right decision. This was where he belonged. Where he would, in Dean’s own words, be happy, loved and respected. Castiel took another moment to unbutton two more buttons on his shirt and to roll the sleeves up a bit, then he went to the refrigerator, got the beer, and went outside. Dean gestured in a manner that Castiel took to mean that he wanted him to remain on the porch.

Castiel stood and watched as Dean poured most of a bag of charcoal into the old barrel that they used as a grill. He then squirted gasoline onto it before, carefully, throwing a lighted match into the mixture. There was a large surge of flames, but nothing out of control. Dean stood at a proper distance watching for a few minutes to make sure that the briquettes were starting to burn, then he walked over and joined Castiel on the porch. They sat down, each taking a drink, before Dean said, “So, Bible editors?”

“The first time the scrolls were written down, they were considered the literal word of God and were kept secret. The tribal leaders would bring them out on special occasions and read from them. This went on for many years, and as the leaders were drilled in the word by their predecessor, it remained mostly accurate.”  
Castiel took another drink and thought for a moment. “It was when the tribes became larger and broke apart, leading to rivalries and wars, that the message began to be distorted. Raids would be held to steal the scrolls, so the tribes that held them started creating duplicates, with deliberate errors in the texts, ensuring that the thieves would not have the ‘true’ word.”

Dean grinned. “Sneaky.”

“As well as the deliberate errors, the scrolls were often copied by men who were not totally literate, and they would make mistakes. For example, think of the English words live and love. Only one letter is different, but the meanings are quite different. The same with ancient Hebrew, if someone had messy writing, or the ink dropped from the end of the quill and left a blot, the meaning of a word can be made unclear, and the sentence can be changed completely for the next person who reads it.”

“The next types of errors are from translations. Often a word will have more than one meaning, and how that word it translated into another language will depend on who does the translating.”

Dean grimaced. “I can believe that. You’ve heard how Sam and Bobby can go at each other over translations.”

“Indeed. Religious leaders have made the most profound changes. Popes in the past have declared that certain books were Apocrypha and had them removed. The Catholic Bible today is different from the King James version that you are familiar with. The Greek Orthodox is different still.” 

Dean gave a little snort. “Sounds like instead of being surprised that something is wrong, we should be amazed that anything is right.” He paused. “That still doesn’t explain about the man sex.”

“The Hebrews and later on the early Christians were small religions. The beliefs that were in the majority were of Greek and Roman nature. They worshiped many Gods, and had very few prohibitions when it came to sex. Among the Greek and Roman warriors sex between men was not only allowed, it was often encouraged. It was believed that a warrior would fight harder to protect his lover. Also, when young men joined the troops, they were partnered with an older man who would teach them proper fighting techniques and how to pleasure another man.”

Dean waved his hand. “Ya know, Sammy would love the history lecture, but me, not so much. Just get to the point, Cas.”

Castiel smiled slightly. So impatient. “Very well. The point is that the Hebrew and early Christian leaders wanted to do everything they could to discourage their people from following these practices. One of the early prophets said that God told them to be fruitful and multiply. Men having sex with other men do not produce babies and cannot help the group multiply. So a leader who had personal distaste for homosexuals could point to that ‘commandment’ as proof that God was against a man loving another man. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was also said to be the wrath of God due to their hedonistic behavior.” 

“It wasn’t?”

“No, it was a large asteroid that broke apart when it entered the atmosphere and several pieces hit the towns. In fact, most of that area was destroyed by fires resulting from the flaming debris hitting the dry desert brush”.

“So that story about Lot and his family being warned to leave is just made up?”

“No, Lot was a vessel for Raphael. He wanted to make sure the bloodline was preserved, so he sent Lot a warning in a dream. Lot later embellished the story to make it appear that he and his children were saved because he was such a pious man.”

“And the bit about Lot’s wife turning to salt; was that an embellishment too?”

“Yes, she was not even with him. She had gone to her parents’ home to help them leave, but they were old and could not move quickly enough to get out of the danger zone. Lot had to give some reason why is wife was not with him, and made it appear that she had been disobedient, rather than make himself appear to be a coward because he would not help an elderly couple escape the destruction.”

“What a dick.”

Castiel smiled. “No, he was just human; flawed, imperfect, and one of Fathers’ most amazing creations.”

Dean shook his head. “Cas, you are always seeing the good in people, I’m afraid that you are in for a real shock.”

Castiel glared at him. “Dean, just because I don’t understand your various cultural references doesn’t mean I’m ignorant. I have watched humanity for millennia; have inhabited vessels other than Jimmy Novak and walked this earth many times. I have witnessed acts of depravity that you cannot imagine. I have also witnessed acts of great kindness and self sacrifice. I am honored that Father is permitting me to live on this world, with you, as a human.”

Dean glared back. “I didn’t say you were ignorant, and I don’t care how long you have lived, or how many times you’ve been down here. Somehow, someway, you have retained an air of innocence. I don’t want to see that destroyed.”

“Innocence!” Castiel was incensed. He scowled. “May I remind you that it was I who initiated our relationship? It was I who kissed you first!”

Dean scowled back, momentarily speechless. He took a deep breath, but his answer was cut off by the sound of the Impala pulling up to the house. Both men looked towards the sound, watching as Sam and Bobby exited the car. Sam looked at the two scowling faces then looked over the car at Bobby. “Guess that didn’t work.”

Castiel stood up and stomped over to where Dean was still sitting. “Innocence? I’ll show you innocence.” He grabbed Dean’s shirt and pulled him out of the chair, mashing their lips together. Dean’s arms flailed in the air briefly then closed around Castiel, pulling him tightly against his body. From a distance Dean heard Bobby chuckle and say, “I don’t know; looks like it worked to me.”

Sam jumped when Gabriel appeared next to him. “Damn, are they at it again?” He started clapping and whistling.

Castile jerked back. If looks could kill, Gabriel would be a smoldering heap of ashes. “Gabriel, get lost!”

Dean drew a deep breath. “Easy, Cas, remember, you can’t smite him anymore.” He tried to get his expression under control, but he couldn’t stop the silly grin from appearing on his face. “Hey, Sammy,” he said, “guess what?”

“What?”

“God told Cas to hit on me.”

“What!?”

Castiel glared at Dean again. “Father told me to go after what I wanted.” He turned back to face Sam, his glare melting into a smug smile. “So I did.” His smile widened. “For all of your brother’s sexual expertise, it was I who made the first move. Twice.”

Sam turned astonished eyes back to Dean, and saw him blush. “Cas, too much information. They don’t need to know details.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “What details. We have kissed three times, nothing more.” He turned back to face the others. “Sam, Bobby, before we continue in this relationship, we would like to know that we have your blessings.”

Dean buried his face in his hands. “CAS!” he moaned.

Bobby shook his head, walking around the car towards the porch. “Of course you have our blessings. Why else do you think we left you alone for the past hour?” He stomped up the steps, smacked Castiel across the back of his head as he passed him, and entered the house. “Idjit.”

Sam vaulted up the steps and pulled Castiel into a quick hug. “Welcome to the family.” He stepped back and glanced over at Dean. “He’s your problem now. Good luck.” He hurried into the house, Dean’s indignant “Hey” following him in. 

Castiel looked at Gabriel. “You know I’m all for this, Bro. Watching you two fumble around is going to be the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” Gabriel snapped his fingers and disappeared, but from the shout in the house it was evident that he hadn’t gone very far.

Dean stormed into the house, yelling “What do you mean, I’m his problem now?”

Castiel chuckled softly. He looked up and whispered, “Thank you, Father, for giving me a sign so that I could make the right choice.” He heard a faint laugh, and felt a warm breeze caress his cheek.

Dean stuck his head back out of the door. “Hey, you coming in or what?”

So impatient. The future would be interesting. “Coming, Dean.”


End file.
